A good day to learn about Palestine

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (UN poster)Today, November 29, 2012, is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (sometimes known simply as Solidarity Day). This day of observance has been celebrated on or around November 29 since a resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 2, 1977.

To understand why we should ALL observe solidarity today and tomorrow and all tomorrows until peace is achieved,  see this video from the Jewish Voice for Peace. It is the best summation of the issues in Palestine that I have seen.

In 1977, the General Assembly took the position that peace in the Middle East could not be accomplished “without the achievement, inter alia, of a just solution of the problem of Palestine on the basis of the attainment of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of return and the right to national independence and sovereignty in Palestine, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”

While some people may assume the “two-state” solution for Israel is new or revolutionary, it was in 1947 that the United Nations passed a resolution providing for the establishment in Palestine of a “Jewish State” and an “Arab State.” As most people know, only one state, Israel, has emerged, and the Palestinians have been kept in a condition that former President Jimmy Carter called apartheid. To gain a better sense of their situation, see this video made in Gaza on Solidarity Day in 2010.

Seeking solidarity with Palestinians and recognizing that they have rights is not anti-Israel or anti-Jewish. What is often lost in the media stories and political rhetoric is the strength of support for the Palestinian people offered by many Jewish Israelis and others around the world. We have featured some of their stories in earlier posts—for example,

We have also shared the story of Rachel Corrie, an idealistic American college student who went to Palestine and was killed while participating in a non-violent protest of the bulldozing of Palestinian homes.

Today is a good day for everyone to learn more about Palestine. Again, I urge you to view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y58njT2oXfE&feature=youtu.be. It has facts and suggestions for resolution of the problems. YOU can help.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology